Show Daily - Sema

Pinstriping and
Lettering: The Lost Art,
Continued from page 51
all my work when I’m finished with the
project. This is not uncommon, as most
of the time you’ll see a signature of some
kind on handpainted art. The reason is
because artists are proud of their work,
and that includes me.
I started striping in 2006. I was at a
friend’s tattoo shop, and I noticed on
the back of an airbrush magazine he
was reading a how-to step-by-step pinstriping
panel. I told my buddy that I
wanted to try that, and he said, “Yeah,
right! It takes guys years to master that
art form!”
Practice Makes Perfect
I went to the bookstore the very next
day and purchased a selection called
How to Pinstripe by Alan Johnson, a
well-known New Jersey pinstriping
and graphic artist. The first page read
that if you have the will and desire to
pinstripe, buy a gallon of paint and a
brush and when you get to the bottom
of the can, you’ll know how to
stripe. I know that’s a lot of paint,
but I followed his advice and started
practicing for hours on end, day after
day. I would go to bed, get up at 4:00
a.m. and start practicing again just to
52 SEMA Show Daily
stay sharp. It’s like anything else: if you
don’t use it, you lose it. Six months
later, I got good enough that my friend
had enough confidence in me to stripe
his truck.
The practice isn’t all there is to it.
There’s also the research it takes to
become familiar with the products that
are available and figuring out what to
do and what not to do. Experience
plays a big part in it, but, ultimately,
you have to remember that it’s paint
and you will mess up, and that’s the
name of the game. But so what? You
wipe it off and go on.
Products
Let’s talk a little about products,
pricing and overhead. Whether I pinstripe
a car, bike or some kind of
panel art, I use a good wax and grease
remover to clean the surface and follow
that up with Windex. It’s critical to
have a clean surface because that will
make or break you.
As for paint, hardener and reducers,
I use 1 Shot products. A lot of people
will tell you that you can use regular
thinner to thin your paint, and that
may be your preference, but 1 Shot
makes a reducer that works great with
their paint. As added insurance, never
use the thinner or reducer when you
clean your brushes because it could
have oils in it and leave you with
fisheyes in your work. The end result
is you wiping off your work and starting
over. In time, you’ll learn that, as
with anything, practice is the key to
quality pinstriping.
Pricing and Brushes
As for pricing and overhead, you
would be surprised at the reasonable
cost of these products. As for what you
charge, it’s up to you. Everyone isn’t
doing this art form, but everyone wants
it, so do the math.
Brushes are something else to consider.
When I started, I had to have one
of everything out there. And believe
me, everyone has their own brush. I
prefer a Mack 00 Series 20 automotive
touch-up brush, but it’s up to the
individual artist. Again, practicing and
experimentation are key. The 20 Series
will cost you about $9 a piece. Some
guys like the 10 Series, which are made
with different hair and cost twice as
much. Do your research and try some
different ones out there.
Brush care is easy; just clean your
brush with mineral spirits and make
sure you oil them. As for lettering
brushes, do your research and try
what’s out there. Hand lettering is not
for everyone, so I would advise to stick
to pinstriping because that will keep
you busy enough.
The people I try to target as potential
customers are hot rodders, bikers
and tractor trailer drivers. Some
people will do a lot of panel art and
garage art and sell it on eBay. There is
money to be made, but again, research
is key. Canvas your local and outof-town
car shows; the best way to
get your work out there is through
word-of-mouth.
Step by Step
Let’s go through a project step-bystep
to give you an idea of how to
perform this art form.
First, let’s look at the products I
will use:
��Paint thinner (for cleaning brushes
only)
��1-Shot reducer
��1-Shot hardener
��1-Shot lettering enamel,
white-bright red
��Wax and grease remover
(but none for this project because
the panel is clean enough)
��Windex ��Mack 00 20 Series pinstriping brush
��Small lettering quill
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